


An Extended Pit Stop

by h_nb



Series: Brick [12]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Comfort, Exhaustion, Fluff, Kissing, Other, Sleep Deprivation, Tricked, Whump, Whumptober 2020, reluctant bedrest, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27273019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/h_nb/pseuds/h_nb
Summary: Whumptober Day Twenty Nine: Reluctant Bedrest
Relationships: Brick (OC)/Aela Bazyli (OC)
Series: Brick [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948501
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	An Extended Pit Stop

**Author's Note:**

> Aela Bazyli is @highqualitynot's character and is used with her permission and help

When Brick teleported into the apartment, the main room was dark, no sign of anyone around. That was expected, as Aela would be at work right now. While Brick did miss their partner, that's not what they were here for. They still had stuff to wrap up, and they just needed to take a shower, grab some clean clothes, and leave. Maybe grab a snack and send a text to Aela before they did so, but still. Brick just wanted to get this mess over with before they came back here again.

The hot water felt good on their tired, aching body, and Brick felt their eyes sliding shut as the steam swirled around them. They weren't enough of an idiot to ignore the fact that they had been sleeping poorly the last few days, a combination of work they needed to get done, some stupid dreams, and reluctantly admitting to themself that the bed here was more comfortable than their van. But they had slept in that place for years just fine, so Brick saw no reason for it to change now. Still, their back and shoulder ached a little more than they would've liked, and their eyes kept sliding shut on their own, drowsy from the shower steam.

They felt a bit better once they were dressed in fresh clothes, and Brick ran a hand through their damp hair as they headed toward the kitchen, shaking the tiredness from them as they searched the fridge for something to eat. They pulled out a can of Bang and a protein bar, leaning on the counter as they started to open the wrapper.

Brick's head shot up as they heard the front door of the apartment start to open, and their hand drifted to the knife in their pocket. They stayed where they were, currently hidden from view of the door, listening closely.

There was a familiar bark, excited as the door opened, and Brick's worry faded into confusion as they heard their partner try and calm the dog down. Aela was supposed to be at work, but how had Brick not noticed that their dog had been nowhere to be seen in the apartment?

As they tried to work that one out, Brick realized too late that their opportunity for passing through unseen had slipped by. More excited barks rang throughout the apartment as Rara charged across the space and around the corner, jumping up with their two front paws to reach Brick, who set their protein bar aside to obligingly give their dog some scratches. They looked up as they did so, meeting Aela's eyes with a small smile as their partner had followed the dog into the kitchen.

"Oh, shit, you're home early, hey!" Aela crossed the room, leaning over Rara to kiss Brick gently before stepping back again and looking them over. "Are you hurt? Or did it just go better than you thought?"

"Neither," Brick said, stifling a yawn, blinking a few times. "I still have shit to wrap up, but I needed a shower, and- hey, wait, uh, aren't you..." they gestured vaguely with one hand, searching their tired brain for the right words. "I thought you got off work at five, why are you home so early?"

Aela gave Brick a strange look, and reached forward to press the back of their hand to Brick's forehead.

"What're you doing?" Brick muttered in confusion, ducking away from it.

"Checking to see if you have a fever -- Brick, it's Saturday. I was out walking Rara."

Brick blinked, and checked the date. "Oh. That... explains why she wasn't here when I popped in either. I think I actually briefly forgot we had a fucking dog." They laughed, but Aela didn't seem to match the humor. "I don't have a fever, though. I'm good."

"You're not good if you think it's Saturday and also you're forgetting we have a fucking dog, Brick..." Aela trailed off, looking at them. "You need a nap."

"Nah." Brick shook their head, giving Ramen Noodles another few pets. "I'm good. Almost finished with this shit, and I'll be back in a few more days, okay? It was good to see you."

"Hey, no, you're not leaving that quickly. Come on." Aela grabbed their hand and Brick was pulled forward, stumbling slightly.

"I'm not taking a nap, Aela-" Brick's complaining was cut off by another kiss from Aela, who held one hand to the side of Brick's face as they pulled them into more slow, gentle kisses, entirely distracted Brick for the moment.

Their eyes opened wide in surprise when their back hit the mattress, blankets crumpling around them. "Oh," they said, surprise turning into a warm grin as they pulled Aela down next to them, leaning into press a kiss to the side of their partners jaw. "This is definitely better than-"

Aela grabbed one of the many blanket strewn over the bed and pulled it in between them, blocking Brick from kissing them again. "Nope. Go the fuck to sleep."

Brick stared at the blanket, and then rolled over to stare up at the ceiling. "I've been fucking jebaited," they said to the ceiling.

Rara chose that exact moment to jog in, launching herself up onto the bed and apparently finding the most comfortable spot to lay being Brick's legs, as she draped her weight across them and stayed there.

"See? Even Rara wants you to take a nap." Aela moved the blanket from covering their face to draping it across both of them, curling close to Brick.

Brick grumbled something under their breath, semi-reluctantly turning to the side so they could hold Aela. "I'm barely even tired, though," they lied, body already growing heavy with sleep.

Aela laughed against Brick's chest. "You're so stubborn. Come on, a nap isn't going to hurt."

Brick sighed heavily, but found that they still had a slight smile on their face as they sunk into the softness of the mattress and the comforting feeling of Aela's arm around their side. "Yeah, alright. Just a short one."

"Good." Aela sounded drowsy as they spoke, relaxing in Brick's arms. "Missed you."

Brick heard it distantly, but couldn't form any words to respond before they had fallen asleep entirely, but they tightened their arms around their partner a little more, hoping that got the message across.


End file.
